The Journey of an Apple

From a tiny apple seed, the apple takes a long journey from the orchard
to your house. See if you can find out about the journey of an apple in
the exhibit at the Yakima Valley Museum.

When you think Yakima, you think apples. But our valley was not always
apple country. In the 1870s the Yakima Valley was a cattle and sheep rancherâ€™s
paradise. Wheat and fruit trees were planted by pioneer families for the
sole purpose of adding variety to their diet.

By the 1880s people were noticing that Yakima Valley apples grew larger, colored
up better, and had fewer blemishes than apples from the Midwest (where the fruit
was a strong industry). The Yakima Valley had fertile soils and a summer
climate with long hot days and cool nightsâ€”perfect for apples. The Yakima
Valley soon realized that there was a national market for its apples.
After 1885 the new rail line through North Yakima provided the means to get
the local apples to the rest of the country. These markets demanded more
and more Yakima Valley applesâ€”so many that thousands of new residents were attracted
to the Valley to feed the growing need.

Now Yakima is strongly associated with the apple. Today there are over
78,000 acres of Yakima Valley apple orchard, where the fruit begins its journey
from seed to storeâ€”apples are the core of our economy. The Yakima apple
industry still draws new residents to our Valley, and the apple continues to
capture our imagination and attention.